In the class of hearing aid systems generally referred to as implantable hearing instruments, some or all of various hearing augmentation componentry is positioned subcutaneously on or within a patient's skull. By way of primary example, such devices include those that utilize electromechanical or piezoelectric transducers for stimulation of the ossicular chain (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,342), and those which utilize excitor coils to electromagnetically stimulate magnets affixed above to a bone in the middle ear (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,486). Additional implantable approaches employ piezoelectric transducers to stimulate the ossicular chain.
In most instances, hearing aid devices of the above-noted nature entail supportably mounting at least a portion of a middle ear actuator to a patient's skull, wherein the supported portion is positioned in an opening surgically defined in the skull. Most typically, the supported portion is at least partially located within the mastoid process and requires stable and reliable placement. However, desirable locations for skull interconnection may be limited and can vary significantly from patient-to-patient, thereby adding to implant procedure complexity. In this regard, the required time associated with mounting during implant procedures is of growing concern given the high costs associated with surgical facility usage and the baseline objective of making implantable hearing aid devices an affordable option for the hearing impaired.